A handyman at a mountain Christian camp who is accused of shooting a camp housekeeper and plotting to kill others may get the first chance to hear prosecutors’ case against him Thursday.

Lawyers in the case of Leith Winston Hamilton announced at a court appearance Tuesday that they were ready for a preliminary hearing Thursday in San Bernardino Superior Court, said Deputy District Attorney Terry Brown.

Hamilton, 30, is accused of arming himself with a Ruger Mark III .22-caliber LR semiautomatic pistol and shooting to death 60-year-old housekeeper Celebrada Lomito-Sexton on Nov. 2 at Camp Cedar Falls in Angelus Oaks.

Hamilton told detectives he had initially planned “to murder everyone who lived and worked at the campsite,” according to a Sheriff’s Department report.

That would have included 15 people, six of whom were children between the ages of 2 and 11.

At a preliminary hearing, a judge will listen to witnesses testify and determine whether sufficient evidence exists to hold over the defendant for trial on the charges.

Hamilton was charged with one count of murder, to which he pleaded not guilty on Nov. 4.

The housekeeper was tidying up a guest cabin at the camp when she crossed paths with Hamilton. He is alleged to have shot the victim in the face several times, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Hamilton later walked into the sheriff’s station in Yucaipa and reportedly told personnel he had killed someone at Camp Cedar Falls.

He had worked there for seven years.

Detectives said they found a large-caliber rifle, a hunting knife, a samurai sword and almost 2,000 rounds of ammunition in Hamilton’s residence.

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